News

The Livingston Board of Education and Township Council held a joint “Five on Five” meeting on Wednesday, March 27, at Mt. Pleasant Middle School. Among the topics discussed were the safety of sidewalks and crosswalks near Harrison School, use of the building on Monmouth Court, population models, and more.

Parking, Sidewalks, and Crosswalks

One of the meeting’s main points of discussion involved the safety surrounding Harrison School during drop-off and dismissal.

Beginning this past September, Harrison School implemented a new pick-up policy. Instead of students waiting in the parking lot for their rides to pick them up, parents now must meet their child at the door. This is how Livingston’s other elementary schools have operated, but the narrow roads and limited parking surrounding Harrison has raised concerns.

Livingston Public Schools superintendent Matthew Block has announced he will be retiring from public education inNew Jersey after 25 years. He will start a new position as the superintendent of schools in Ardsley,NewYorkonorabout July 1.

Block joined Livingston Public Schools in July 2019. During his time as superintendent, he implemented a number of important initiatives, including a five-year strategic plan and a long-range facilities plan.

“Under Dr. Block’s leadership, the tools and resources to help prepare high school students to navigate the increasingly competitive college application process were strengthened,” the district said in a statement. “The district also increased the focus on intervention services and mental health resources to promote a supportive and nurturing learning environment for all students. Additionally, actionable steps were taken to enhance a culture of equity and inclusivity across the district.”

Paulette Dorflaufer, Livingston’s stylish, congenial and attentive crossing guard, is called “Miss Paulette” in Burnet Hill School, where she shows her devotion to children in her role as a three-hour-a-day aide in the classroom, lunchroom, and playground.

A few weeks ago, fourth grade teacher Julie Sonshine invited Dorflaufer to share with her class her story about surviving the Holocaust. At the time, students were reading nonfiction books about this dark period in history, and had questions about Anne Frank, Nazi Germany, and World War II. Dorflaufer, always willing to speak about her experiences and about the Holocaust, read excerpts from her book, told stories, and answered the children’s questions about her journey – from her rescue and life in a French orphanage as a Jewish child to her subsequent adoption and immigration to the U.S. aboard the Queen Elizabeth I in 1948. They asked if she remembered her parents and what schools she attended.

Fifteen-year-old Livingston resident Michael Shayevich received the General Billy Mitchell Award from the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) on January 30, during a ceremony held at the American Red Cross Northern New Jersey Headquarters in Fairfield.

Presented by Lt. Colonel Carol Mc-Cloud, the MitchellAward recognizes Shayevich’s sustained excellence in all four areas of cadet life: leadership, aerospace, fitness, and character. Only about 15 percent of CAP cadets earn this award. Civil Air Patrol has approximately 25,000 young adults ages 12 to 18 in its cadet program.

As a recipient of the Mitchell Award, Shayevich is elevated to the rank of cadet officer and promoted to the grade of Cadet Second Lieutenant. As an officer, he takes on more responsibility for leading junior-ranking cadets while continuing to develop himself as a “dynamic American and aerospace leader.”

Elizabeth Tartakovsky, a 2018 graduate of Livingston High School, is headed to Paris this summer to compete in her first Olympic games. A fencer for most of her life, she will be competing in the women’s sabre portion of the upcoming games, to be held in Paris from July 26 through August 11.

Tartakovsky began fencing when she was nine years old. She was introduced to the sport by a distant relative turned eventual coach Yury Gelman.

“When I was little, I tried out different sports. I tried fencing and I fell in love,” Tartakovsky said. “I loved smacking my sister with a sword.”

When she was a preteen, she started commuting into New York City to train at the Manhattan Fencing Center. From middle school through her high school graduation, she took part in LHS’ fencing team as much as her travel schedule allowed. She noted it was a different level than she was used to competing, but enjoyed being “part of a team, since fencing is very individualized.”

In a recent move, the Trustees of the Livingston Public Library unanimously passed a resolution declaring the library a sanctuary for books. This decision was accompanied by the adoption of the American Library Association’s (ALA) “Freedom to Read” statement, aimed at safeguarding the community’s unrestricted access to information without censorship.

The resolution comes in response to escalating threats against the free flow of information and access to books. Library director Amy Babcock highlighted, in her recent newsletter, alarming statistics provided by the ALA, which documented more than 4,200 book titles targeted for censorship, and more than 1,200 demands for the censorship of library books and resources in 2023.

Book sanctuaries, as a response, collect andprotect endangered books, “making them accessible to patrons instead of banning them,” Babcock wrote.

Livingston detectives are investigating an attempted residential burglary that occurred last weekend.

At 6:41 a.m. on Sunday, March24, officers responded to a Coddington Terrace home on a report of an attempted burglary to the residence.

Officers arrived and met with the homeowners, who said they saw several people trying to force entry into a rear window with a crowbar. They fled the scene upon seeing the homeowner.

Police believe the suspects were targeting keys for vehicles that were parked in the driveway. The Livingston Detective Bureau is investigating the matter.

At its March 26 meeting, the Livingston Zoning Board re-heard the cases for Abhishek Gangwal at 6 Hazelwood Avenue, and 44 North Ashby Ave., LLC, at 44 and 46 North Ashby Avenue, approving both applications. The Board then listened to three more cases during the course of the meeting, and ultimately approved all three of them.

44 and 46 North Ashby Avenue

At the February meeting, 44North Ashby Ave., LLC made a request to subdivide the parcel encompassing 44 and 46 North Ashby Avenue into two lots-Lots 1.01 and 12.01 - and to rearrange their layouts to be more symmetrical. Additionally, a house on 12.01 would be tom down and replaced with a different two-story home, with engineer Joseph Bachi and architect Hayk Ekshian providing testimony. This layout was criticized by the Board for going 45 percent over the existing lot space rather than 30 percent, prompting 44 North Ashby Ave., LLC to reduce its space to a more reasonable size.

At its Monday, March 25, meeting, the Livingston Township Council passed two ordinances related to the plannedBrightviewproject expected to be built at the current location of the West Essex YMCA.

Additionally, the Livingston High School chess club was recognized for winning its state championship for the second consecutive year. The club explained their accomplishments to those in attendance and then were issued proclamations from both the township and the state legislature, the latter by Assemblywoman Rosy Bagolie.

Brightview Ordinances

An ordinance was passed to authorize a sale agreement between Brightview Livingston Urban Renewal and the township, for a portion of its 357 South Livingston Avenue (block 3100, lot 55 in the tax map) property that includes the town’s skate park. The proceeds of the sale are expected to cover the cost of a new skate park, to be located elsewhere in town.

Near the end of the Monday, March 25, Township Council meeting, several East Hanover residents complained to the Council about the Livingston Police Firing Range, which is located in close proximity to them.

That shooting range is used by police officers to train and is located off Eisenhower Parkway behind Lithos Estiatorio restaurant, bordering the Passaic River. The range has been in use for more than seven decades. Town records show that the deed to the parcel - Lot 20, Block 68 - was given to the town in 1961 for the express purpose of use as a pistol range. Purchase of the land, which had previously been the site of the Knotty Pine Bar, was authorized by Ordinance No. 31-1961.

Township manager Barry Lewis said it has been used as a shooting range consistently since the sale, with the current structure erected in the 1980s. Police officers in Livingston and nearby towns use the range to complete required firearms training.